Conveyance locating system and method for multiple conveyances on the same right-of-way

• US 6,353,320 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2000
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huffman, John Sinclair, Eslambolchi, Hossein
• Primary Examiner(s): Patidar, Jay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aurora, Reena
• Application Number:
  US09/658,748
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 324/326, 324/67, 324/66, 324/228, 324/232, 324/327, 324/329, 324/539, 324/541, 324/543, 324/544
• US Class Current: 324/326
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/02 operating with propagation of electric current

Abstract

A service provider that buries multiple utility conveyances (12a. 12b and 12c) along a common right of way (14) may facilitate their location via a technician (24) by impressing a pulsed confirmation signal (23) on each conveyance in addition to a conventional locate signal (16). The pulsed confirmation signal is uniquely identifies that conveyance, but also contains information that identifies the total number of conveyances and their relationship with each other.

Claims

1. A method for identifying multiple conveyances of a single service provider on a common right of way, comprising the steps of:

impressing on each conveyance of the same service provider a locating signal of a prescribed frequency; and

impressing a pulsed confirmation signal on each conveyance of the same service provider, wherein the pulsed confirmation signal is unique to each conveyance and contains information which uniquely identifies said conveyance and which also identifies its relationship with the other conveyances such that when the pulsed confirmation signal is received by a technician, the technician will be alerted to the total number of conveyances belonging to the same service provider along the right-of-way.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the pulsed locating signal contains the message “

Conveyance X of Y”

wherein Y represents the total number of conveyances of the service provider and X represents the order of the conveyance to relative to the others.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the pulsed locating signal contains the message “

Conveyance X of Y”

wherein Y represents the total number of conveyances of the service provider and X represents the order of the conveyance to relative to the others.

4. A method for locating multiple conveyances of a single service provider on a common right of way, comprising the steps of:

impressing on each conveyance of the same service provider a locating signal of a prescribed frequency; and

impressing a pulsed confirmation signal on each conveyance of the same service provider, wherein the pulsed confirmation signal is unique to each conveyance and contains information which uniquely identifies said conveyance and which also identifies its relationship with the other conveyances;

receiving the locating signal via a receiver to establish the general location of the conveyance; and

receiving the pulsed confirmation signal via the receiver to precisely locate the conveyance and to determine to the total number of conveyances belonging to the same service provider along the right-of-way.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the step of receiving the pulsed confirmation signal includes determining the relation of the conveyance to the others.

6. Apparatus for identifying multiple conveyances of a single service provider on a common right of way, comprising the steps of:

locate signal generator means for impressing on each conveyance of the same service provider a locating signal of a prescribed frequency; and

confirmation signal generator means for impressing a pulsed confirmation signal on each conveyance of the same service provider, wherein the pulsed confirmation signal is unique to each conveyance and contains information which uniquely identifies said conveyance and which also identifies its relationship with the other conveyances such that when the pulsed confirmation signal is received by a technician, the technician will be alerted to the total number of conveyances belonging to the same service provider along the right-of-way.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the pulsed locating signal contains the message “

Conveyance X of Y”

wherein Y represents the total number of conveyances of the service provider and X represents the order of the conveyance to relative to the others.